Serious cyclists prefer the conventional drop style handlebar because of the way in which it positions the rider for minimum wind resistance, while maximizing, in that position, muscular interaction between various parts of the torso, arms, and legs during the cycling exercise. In the position normally occupied by a cyclist using drop style handlebars there is considerable strain to the shoulder and arms and particularly to the pressure points of the palms of the hands and of the fingers. In fact it is well known that continuous unrelieved pressure of even relatively short duration to certain areas of the fingers and the palms of the hand can result in temporary or permanent nerve damage.
In order to relieve this stress and to prevent discomfort and potential nerve damage, experienced riders typically shift their hand and arm positions on the conventional drop style handles with great frequency. One popular "rest" position is to lightly place the fingers or palms of one or both hands upon the upper lateral portion of the handlebar just to the right or left of the handlebar stem. However this rest position has a number of disadvantages. Wind resistance increases as the torso of the cyclist is raised to so grip this portion of the handlebars, and control of the bicycle is minimized due to the minimum leverage which can be exercised on so short a grip.
Moreover the conventional drop style handlebars are not ideally suited for other commonly occurring cycling exercise situations, such as strenuous hill climbing or maximum down hill speed. In sum, the cyclist is constrained by the shape of the conventional handlebar to employ various less efficient, less comfortable, less than ideal positions and grips when engaging in the commonly occurring wide variety of cycling activities.
Various specialty handlebars are available for maximizing certain cycling exercises such as mountain trekking, triathalon, time trialing, and so forth. These bars depart from the conventional drop style, but are not adjustable. Numerous ideas have also been proposed for the purpose of effecting adjustable handlebar positional changes. However these ideas in the main require cumbersome, complex, expensive, and difficult to operate apparati and/or they provide only a limited range of angular or attitudinal adjustment.
Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a simple inexpensive means of adjusting the angle and attitude of various portions of the handlebar over a wide range of angles and attitudes.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a means by which the angle or position of a segment of a drop style handlebar may be adjusted with ease and safety while the rider is cycling.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus which may either be installed at the time that the handlebar is manufactured or which may be retrofitted into any of a number of existing standard drop style handlebars.